About the Challenge
The Ilawe Science Challenge (ISC) is an annual science competition for secondary school students, founded as an initiative of Edu-Care Chit-Chat and Catalytiva. The maiden edition takes place in 2027.
Our vision
To build a generation of excellence-driven, disciplined, innovative, and intellectually curious young people in Ilawe-Ekiti and beyond, inspired to explore science, technology, engineering, and mathematics and empowered to use their knowledge to solve real-world problems.
The Challenge aspires to contribute to a culture in which academic and moral excellence is celebrated within the community, and where young people recognize education, creativity, discipline, and innovation as powerful pathways toward personal and societal development.
Our mission
To identify, challenge, encourage, and reward talented secondary school students through a fair, rigorous, and engaging science competition that strengthens critical thinking, problem-solving, and the practical application of scientific knowledge.
Working with schools, teachers, parents, professionals, and members of the Ilawe community, the initiative strengthens academic and moral education and builds a sustainable platform for mentoring and developing future professionals. The Challenge is not merely an annual competition; it is an investment in the intellectual capital and future development of Ilawe-Ekiti and the wider society.
What the maiden edition sets out to do
- Identify academically talented students with exceptional aptitude in science.
- Reward academic excellence and show that scholarly achievement deserves community recognition.
- Develop a pipeline through which promising students receive mentoring and educational opportunities.
- Establish a sustainable annual competition that can grow beyond Ilawe-Ekiti.
Our guiding principles
Excellence
Participants are challenged to perform beyond routine classroom expectations.
Integrity
Examination development, administration, marking, and results are handled transparently and professionally.
Fairness
Every eligible participant competes under the same rules and conditions.
Inclusiveness
Equitable opportunities for students of every participating school, irrespective of size or background.
Innovation
The competition encourages reasoning and application rather than memorization alone.
Sustainability
Every decision contributes to an institution capable of continuing annually.
Beyond competition day
High-performing students may be invited into a mentorship programme offering virtual mentorship, career talks and seminars, university preparation and scholarship information, visits to universities and laboratories, and interaction with scientists, innovators, and leaders. This transforms the Challenge from an examination into a talent-development platform.
Over time, the Challenge will expand to more subjects, welcome neighbouring communities, grow into an Ekiti-level competition, and establish a permanent governance and funding structure that sustains it year after year.